Corey Perry’s status has suddenly become one of the first real questions hanging over the Los Angeles Kings’ preseason.
The veteran forward is away from the team for personal reasons, and the Kings have not given any kind of timetable for when he’ll be back. With the regular season set to open Sept. 30 against the Colorado Avalanche, his availability is now something to watch.
For now, Perry is expected to miss both of Los Angeles’ preseason games this week, including Tuesday’s matchup with the Utah Mammoth and Wednesday’s meeting with the Anaheim Ducks. Even so, he still appears to have enough time to rejoin the club before the opener in Colorado, and there’s no indication at this point that he’ll miss that game.
Perry, 41, returned to Los Angeles this offseason after spending part of last season with the Kings. He opened the 2025-26 campaign with the club and put up 11 goals and 17 assists for 28 points in 50 games before being traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
His run in Tampa Bay was shorter and quieter. Perry finished with six goals and three assists for nine points in 22 regular-season games, then went scoreless in seven playoff appearances as the Lightning were eliminated by the Montreal Canadiens in seven games. After that, he made his way back to Los Angeles in the offseason.
This is also not the first time Perry has stepped away from a team in unexpected fashion.
Back in November 2023, while with the Chicago Blackhawks, general manager Kyle Davidson said Perry would be away from the club for the “foreseeable future.” Chicago later terminated his $4 million contract after an internal investigation.
It was later reported that the incident involved alcohol and took place at a Blackhawks-organized team function involving corporate sponsors. Perry later spoke publicly about the situation and sought professional help.
At the moment, though, there is no indication that this latest absence is connected in any way to that previous situation. The Kings will move through the rest of the preseason without him while they wait for more clarity on when he’ll return.
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